Monday, August 20, 2012

It's that time of the year, when cucumbers abound! If you are tired of eating them raw, try making some sweet and slightly tangy bread and butter pickles. Here is one of my favorite recipes.

You will need

4 pounds pickling cucumbers

1 large onion, quartered, sliced about 1/4-inch thickness

1/3 cup pickling salt

3 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds, or use half pickling spices

1 red pepper

Preparation:

Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends. Slice crosswise into 1/8-inch slices. Toss in a large bowl with the salt and onion slices; cover with about 4 to 6 cups of ice cubes. Cover and let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Prepare a boiling water bath. Add water to a large canner with rack and heat to about 180°. The water should be high enough to be at least 1 inch above the filled jars.

Wash jars thoroughly and heat water in a small saucepan; put the lids in the saucepan and bring almost to the boil; lower heat to very low to keep the lids hot. I also like to keep my jars warm in the oven at 350 degrees.

Once your cucumbers have sat for the 4 hours or overnight:

Drain the cucumber mixture. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the drained cucumber mixture and bring to a boil. With a slotted spoon, loosely pack the vegetables in prepared jars. Ladle the liquid into jars, dividing evenly among the jars.

With a clean damp cloth, wipe away any drips around the rims of the jars then cover with 2-piece jar lids. Adjust the screw on rings firmly but do not over-tighten. Place filled in the prepared boiling water bath, adding more hot water as needed to bring the water up to about 1 inch above the jars. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Lift the jars out of the water and place on a rack to cool.

Makes about 6-7 small jars.

Leave this to sit for about 3-4 days before you enjoy them! Don't forget your friends who do not make pickles, this would be a great treat to surprise them with!

About Me

My name is Tannis, welcome to my blogs! My blogs are a space for me to record my life, share my loves, write for the sake of writing. I enjoy spending time in my kitchen, paper crafting, scrapbooking, gardening and of course writing. I love music, and I believe it is what brings harmony and calm to our souls. My ultimate goal in life is to have a healthy, happy family, to love life and to be able to define success by the smile on my face, the joy in my eyes, and the strength of the relationships I hold dear to me.